Among The Ruins Rewrite
by The Adversary
Summary: I've finally Updated! Yuffie's finally awake...but...what now? Warning: Filler and Fluff.
1. Something Like Disaster

A/N: I think I'm more suited to one shots than doing the long chaptered stories. Now, don't get me wrong, but I think that I'm deleting Take 2 and that when I finish Scarlet Valentine, I'm DONE with chaptered stories. - heheheh. It's sooooo hard. I enjoy writing, but I hate concentrating on one thing for eternity. Anywho, time to quit my incessant babbling and finish this second half of ATR- about Yuffie's leg, I forgot that it was broken. Er…It was magically fixed, okay? Oh, and CloudxTifa forever! My second favorite pairing ever! Oh hell, I decided, this will all be one gynormous glob of story, okay? I removed the bad songs from the first part…so yeah.

I'm a very repetitive person. Repetitive person I am very. Very repetitive am I person. Er…. I tend to say the same things a lot.

I re-read the first part, and guess what? Like everything I've ever written, it needed to be re-edited! So, I fixed all the grammatical errors that I found (too many) and decided to post this all as one mama-honkin part. Because, I CAN. -….Umm….Onto the Response of the Reader Reviews.

To all my 'loving' Reviewers:

**Commander Cheddar** Wow...er...Well, I guess I will post more for SV? You like it? jeez louise. All these people like SV, but it's so full of errors I don't know how you stand it! Thank you all! Thank you all so very much!

**Noriko** Looks like you didn't! I liked my characters too. Woo!

**Phoenix18** Well what I meant was complicated, it'd take too long, I'll put it in a review when you write another fic. XD Anywho, thank you for the review, and guess what? It reminded me I still have another half to write! Woohoo! Well, I have really bad grammar, but yeah, we'll blame it on Microsoft. It took me forever to write the first part so…..bleh.

**Emri** You deserve an award for the sweetest review ever! I am all, 'omg that's so nice' right now! I couldn't have killed Yuffie, though the first time I contemplated doing it and I cried ….er…forget what I said...anyways...thank you so much for your review!

**Eternalstar180 **I couldn't leave a cliffhanger….-; when I do in SV I get yelled at. Here's the next part. Er….parts…whatever.

**Neko-Yuff18** You liked it! You really, really liked it! Oohh! (passes out)

**Yuffie Kisaragi2** I was going to leave you hanging on that one part. But then, I remembered how some of my reviewers get when I leave cliffhangers (snorts) so, yeah. Here's the second half!

**Kitsuni -Demon** Wow you're spazzing out! XD anyways, I don't know what to say. Yes all that stuff you said happens, did happen. So….yeah.

**Cian** Bleh you didn't really like it. The only reason you read it was because I forced you to hehe. (evil laughter in background)

Right now I'm listening to "Monochrome" of Ayumi Hamasaki's _Appears_ CD. It's pretty good to write to, that Ayu music. The song used for this one-shot is**…."And FOREVER…-By Robbie Danzie featuring Takao Naoki.**

**PART ONE **

**6:23 p.m. Midgar Ruins**

Vincent walked slowly through the muck, each step clinging to the thick mud as he trudged onwards, through the ruins of the city, his metal boots giving a muffled clanging sound with each slap upon the submerged metal and concrete shards, the sloshing of the water adding to the sickening sound. All around him, people were sloshing through the thigh high waters, carrying soaked remnants of their old homes, pictures of anguish painted upon their features. They hadn't deserved this, none of them, they hadn't deserved to have their homes crushed and blown apart by Meteors fierce swirling fiery winds, to be torn apart by the violence, after all the years of repression by the government. They didn't deserve it, but, as with all people, they got it anyways.

Debris floated along the water, which was flowing swiftly from the main water piping that had been busted underneath Meteors intense pressure, and Vincent felt each piece as if it were driving into his very soul. So much desolation, so many people homeless, and there were many dead as well. Valiant as Reeve's efforts had been, there had been NO way to save all the citizens from Meteor's wrath, at least several thousand were already presumed dead. Memorial services were likely to be held together for all the lives lost, unless another, highly unlikely crisis was about to happen. His ruby eyes closed as he stopped, giving a moment of silence to the souls of the men women and children all dead because of Hojo. In the end, it all came down to Hojo. His experimentation, his theories, his need to destroy, it had all brought Shin Ra's hierarchy to naught. For, what power could save in the face of disaster?

And Vincent himself, had some fault as well, for he had not been able to kill Hojo all those years ago. _Of all my sins,_ he thought, making the sign of the cross with his human hand, _Not being able to stop you...and Lucrecia...from committing this tragedy…are the things that I regret the most._ He mentally whispered. Looking up towards the sky, the moon visible through the smoke and ash, burning a bright silver...Silver hair...Sephiroth. _My son of sorts_, Vincent's mind mused on the thought as the water began to soak through his supposedly water resistant pants, chilling the skin of his legs, dripping down into his boots, drop by icy drop. It mattered not anymore, he was gone, she was gone, everything from his past was gone. Vincent reopened his faintly glowing orbs and continued to trudge forward, his mind now focusing upon his companions, the people he would even go so far as to consider friends.

They were all were in different parts of the city right now, each helping to drag out bodies and the occasional survivor. Tifa worked in the lower half of the dual layered ruins, near the sectors 6 and 7, near her old bar, the place she had long considered her home. Cloud also worked on the lower levels along with Barrett, each helping to lift large debris out of the murky depths of the water, and slay a few monsters that had drifted into the liquid, attacking the few who lived. Cid worked in the air, aboard his airship, lifting the wounded to Calm and other cities that were willing to take in the seriously injured. Red XIII worked along the more fragile top sectors, sniffing out the survivors so that they could extract the people without risking a collapse. Cat had disappeared with the arrival of Reeve, who used his extensive resources from ShinRa to help out on the top sectors as well, primarily using the Turks, so none of the others were needed up top. Yuffie, well, no one really knew where the hell she had ran off to, and right now, it wasn't important. Past memories began to infiltrate his mind. (stupid a/n: Kind of like ninjas...oohh ninjas…)

His eyes opened at the high pitched sound of a woman's scream. Ahead of him, another water pipe had burst, cutting through the pile of debris that a family had been perched upon, dragging a little boy from his mothers vice-like grip. "Momma! Help me!" "NO! My baby, please, someone save him!" she screamed as the child was swept towards the massive flaming crater in the middle of the ruins (a/n: That I forgot to mention?), where skin scalding steam rose from its fiery depths as water raced down the sides, only faintly tugging at most where Vincent stood, but where the little boy was, the water was gushing directly towards it. Vincent moved as quickly as he could, sloshing through the heavy liquid, about as fast as moving Jell-O, knowing even then it was too late for the child. Suddenly, leaping from pile to pile of debris, a tiny figure leapt from above him, diving into the water without hesitation. A thick rope slapped the water near him as the form of young woman splashed near the child.

Vincents eyes widened as he recognized the tiny figure swimming valiantly towards the little boy. It was Yuffie. She held the end of the rope betwixt her teeth, slicing diagonally towards the child with her arms and legs, quickly approaching the boy's form as he thrashed wildly. She caught him quickly, and knowing they were nearing the edge, quickly wrapped the rope around his body, tying it tightly to his stomach as she held on to the edge. Vincent stood in awe as she worked quickly, then snapped out of his frozen state and leapt upon a pile of debris, jumping from pile to pile to quickly reach the people, the thick rope roll clutched between his fingers as he neared the family, watching with horror as they spread towards the end of the road (er, streaming gushing edge of a waterfall seems more appropriate right now, ne?).

"Grab the rope!" he said stiffly, shoving it into the mothers hand, taking hold of part himself. "We're going to all need to pull to get them back up here!" He yelled, making sure each person grabbed a handful, or more, of inch thick collumn of twisted fiber. His own fingers, the gold encrusted 'demon claw', part of his eternal punishment, and human hand clutched a bigger handful than most, and locking his knees, he felt them all lurch forward as Yuffie and the boy were hurled the edge. Suddenly, the rope tautened, and they ground their heels into the muck, catching them on pieces of metal and such for more stability, preventing the two from dropping into the glowing fiery abyss, straining just to pull them up a little.

In the water, the boy, crying, clung to Yuffie, even though he was tied securely. She felt the rope slashing her palms to bits as she hung as tightly as she could against the water, while trying to reassure him. "Waahhh, what if we die? What if they can't help us!" He cried. A pang of heartfelt emotion, and a memory of pure feeling shot through her, chilling the young woman even further. Looking down reassuringly, Yuffie put the brightest smile on her face that she could, hugging the boy tightly, yelling in reply, "Don't cry! We'll be out of here before you know it! See that guy over there with your momma? He and I helped stop Meteor!" The boy stiffened, bravely, and nodded, though silent tears still streaked down his chubby cheeks. Hope filled his heart, for, one of the Saviors of the Planet was here with him, helping through the journey, and he could not be afraid with such a powerful person on his side.

Vincent and the boy's family managed, with each excruciating pull, to haul Yuffie and the woman's boy against the rushing current, ever so slowly towards the pile of debris, closer and closer to safety. Unfortunately nearing the completion of saving the duo, each and every one of the people, save Vincent, was exhausted, and hardly could pull any farther. Vincent surely could not haul them on his own, and deep within his soul hoped to god they could all just struggle a little more, a little longer to bring the two to safety. Suddenly, the mother felt her grip weaken, and she let go as the rope slid between her fingers, burning the tender flesh, ripping the skin from her palms a. Both Yuffie and the boy screamed as they lurched back, the rest of them redoubling their efforts just to keep the two where they were.

Yuffie's voice, unusually calm, met the rescue groups ears, "We're too heavy, you'll never pull us both up!" She cried out, trying to keep her head, and the young child's above the gushing water. "One of us will have to let go!" she screamed, "Or we'll both die!" Vincent's eyes widened, surely she didn't mean that the child would...no. A flash of desperateness he could see within her stormy eyes, and he could see her grip relaxing on the rope. "I know how much your baby means to ya lady!" She smiled, tears beginning to well in her eyes, dripping down her cheeks into the torrent of water. "So, in order to keep him alive, I guess it's time for the great Yuffie Kisaragi to say goodbye!"

Within her mind, a peaceful feeling, a sort of calm, took over her panicking brain, soothing her. _The great Ninja makes a valiant sacrifice, _she laughed inwardly, _I can see the headlines on the papers "Teenage Hero Saves Brat!" haha!. Well Go-dad, yep, I guess I should call you Dad in the end, I guess I wish I could say that I'm sorry I disappointed ya, I hope that maybe an honorable death will restore fame to the infamous Kisaragi name..yeah, ya old fart, I won't be around to disgrace you-_even her mind was beginning to choke up, _so I guess...you can be happy, right? _A voice from above suddenly ripped through her thoughts.

"Yuffie, don't you DARE let go!" Vincent's voice cracked as he yelled_. It kind of sounds like he's being murdered by strangulation,_ Yuffie chuckled inwardly. Opening her eyes, she saw clearly the anguish written on his normally impassive face. But, she had made her decision. It was too late to change her mind now. A child's life was at stake, and like her mother, Yuffie would rather die than see a young one die. Smiling brightly, she let go with one hand, feeling the water jerk her some, though she kept hold with the other. _I'm sorry..._ her mind whispered to him. Reaching onto her belt, she took out the pouch of materia and threw it up to Vincent, the child's mother catching it. "Here ya go Vinnie! Give it back to everyone for me!" She yelled, eyes bright with water and tears.

_No..._Vincents eyes widened, that surely, couldn't mean...Suddenly, he felt the child being launched up out of the water with a slick 'pop', himself being thrown back as the extra weight released itself from the clinging rope. Scrambling to the edge, Vincent looked down at the thrashing waters, his cloak dramatically whipping back behind him. With a battle cry "Ayaa! Don't forget me Vinnie-poo!", Yuffie waved at him, before being dragged under, disappearing right as the water crashed over the edge. "Y-YUFFIE!"

**8:17 PM Midgar Ruins**

He sat atop the same pile of ruin, even after the water had stopped flowing, slowly descending, slowly receding into the pit, until nothing but soaked, sopping water littered the ground. Vincent sat, one knee bent towards his chest, an arm leaning on it, his head down, saying a prayer for the loss of the valiant little ninja. "Damnit...Yuffie…you committed the ultimate sacrifice, willingly and without a thought", Vincent whispered, his human hand, down near his side, clutched around the small sack of the materia, (that he had realized later upon further investigation was only what she had had equipped) feeling the damp, rough texture of the fabric upon his palm. His fingers mussed the thin leather tie of the drawstring bag, feeling the worn leather warm the skin of his palm as it heated slowly in the cold night.

The family had long left, the wife tearfully thanking Vincent, and saying a prayer for the ninja, telling him she would be remembered always by their family, the little boy pulling at her hair, crying softly into her chest as she had wrapped a thick blanket about her son to keep him warm. The moonlight filtered through the cracks in the upper level, lighting the area of Sector 4 in an eerie, yet comforting silvery gray glow. Standing, Vincent made his way slowly down the pile of rubble, not once stumbling upon any of the items scattered about, such as metal, wire...bodies...ect, his movements lithe and graceful even when he cared naught.

Moving along like a zombie, Vincent retraced the path of the rushing water, damning ShinRa even more for taking the life of such an young woman, who had naught lived her life to the fullest. Drawing up memories, Vincent replayed the one in his head that he had tucked away, not caring about it at the time.

_They stood in Nibelheim, waiting for the rest of the party to return from the Reactor, ignoring the glares of the townsfolk, at the time not knowing they had been hired as ShinRa employees. Yuffie sat atop the well, tapping her foot along the thick wooden panels that covered the metal of the water holding device. Vincent stood on the platform near her, stoic and silent, his eyes closed to better ignore the people who inhabited the once friendly town. The ninja was eating a Popsicle, quite noisily, slurping the quickly melting ice as it trickled down the small thin stick, as she stared down at the man, and moving closer, she tapped his shoulder, gaining a look from him._

"_Hey, Vinnie?" He sighed, rubbing his temple. "Yes Yuffie?" he asked emotionlessly, knowing if he did not reply she would have taken insult and started berating him for god knows how long. "Umm…What was it like?" her voice was little more than a whisper as she looked down at me from above. "_What was what like?"_ His mind asked, though remaining silent, waiting quietly for a better explanation of her words. "…." After a few moments, she tried to rephrase what she said before. "Ya know…" She said slowly, "Like…all those years in the coffin. What was it like?" _

"………_." He refused to say a word, and in true Yuffie fashion, she kept talking, though more to herself now. "Maybe," she said, absentmindedly throwing the stick at a random passerby, who glared at her, earning a rude gesture as from her as they turned away, the Popsicle stick stuck to the back of the persons head. "Is it like….an emptiness inside you, like knowing you were helpless to stop it? Like, no matter what you had done, it would have happened anyways, that it was futile to even try? A drowning despair…" She whispered, her voice breathy and sad, looking at the bright moon as it drifted lazily overhead, full and beautiful. Yuffie rested her hand upon her knee, and sighed, staring absently into the starry expanse._

_Vincent arched an eyebrow, and spoke, his voice unsure. "Yuffie-" Suddenly, she leapt off the top, and ran towards the mansion, waving, "Heeeeyyy!" she called to the party. "You're back!" She smiled happily as she ran, tripping once, but catching herself before falling upon her face. Vincent sighed, and followed, though definitely not as bouncy and buoyant. She hugged Tifa, strangling in a sort hug that she became famous in the group for, laughing exuberantly as she spoke quickly. "Ohmigod it was so boring while you were gone! I was eating an ice pop, and threw the stick, aiming for the trashcan, but some idiot stepped in its way, giving ME a dirty glare! I should have given them a taste of my Ninja-fu, but I didn't, the lucky ducks!" She said. Tifa merely smiled, ruffling the ninja's hair, nodding. _

_And ever since then…when they saw Yuffie smile, he could tell…it was fake. A play of light, a shadow deep within her eyes, the happiness painted on like a doll. A doll…porcelin features that slowly cracked, each a miniscule tiny thing, spider webby, but with one good hit she would break. A thousand infinitesimal pieces, leaving but a tiny form of shadow, hollowed emotion. Just….like him._

Reality set in. The ninja, whom like the rest of the group, Vincent had become accustomed to having around, was dead. Her life, so fresh and new, was snuffed out like a candle. She had not even had the chance to live yet. _Such a vibrant person, she did not deserve this death. _Vincent thought, _I will make sure…that everyone knows of her sacrifice. She will not have died without recognition for this deed._

Reaching the edge of the abyss, Vincent peered down at the lake Meteor had created, the water having calmed now. A circular indentation around thirty or forty stories down, and half a mile wide, two miles across, the artificial lake was enormous. ((Midgar was a huge city…so I made it big too?)) Looking down, the waters, which started at around the twentieth story, so it was a rather large drop if you fell, the liquid reflected the light from above, shapes outlined by steaming machinery and things around the walls on the way down dappled across the water. Several large outcroppings lined just his side of the lake, popping out regularly across the abyss.

Crouching, he studied a particularly strange looking one, too rounded to be twisted metal, and…He squinted his eyes, trying to gather the entire shape. It looked like a body.. Leaping down one level, Vincent crouched upon an outcropping himself, checking the form out. Surely it was a monster… No. It was a body. A human body! _Surely it could not be- _Vincent began to leap down the levels, one to the other, panic arising within, a new sensation for him, one that had not been felt even when fighting the seemingly futile battle with Safer Sephiroth. ((A/N: Safer, I wonder where they got that from? I mean, he's not exactly safe to be around. Heh.)) The form began to grow larger as he neared it, and he could make out details. It was stretched out, and definitely a woman's form. It was….it was…

**PART TWO**

8:45 Midgar Ruin Lake

Yuffie lay, bruised and broken upon the platform, her eyes closed, biting her lower lip to stay a cry of anguish. Her head hurt, her back felt like it had been broken, and at the angle her leg was, Yuffie KNEW that was definitely not right. The metal beneath her was jagged and had cut into the flesh of her back when she had been slammed against it, tearing the skin and the shirt to shreds, along with her leg mesh, leg warmers, everything that had landed upon it. She could hardly keep conscious as the blood seeped slowly from her body in a few hot streams of the trickling liquid.

The roar of the water beneath her, though it looked calm, was deafening, and Yuffie cringed, knowing that if she lived through this she'd never yell again. Her body, tense, began to relax, accepting the fact that she wouldn't make it out alive. But, it had been worth it. The little boy, he was safe and with his family, his mother, and that was where he deserved to be. Yuffie's thoughts turned back to her own mother, whom she had watched get murdered in front of her during the Wutain War, so long ago. Yuffie had been two at the time, and how the memory stayed with her she'd never know, all she knew was that Masako Kisaragi had been carrying her daughter to safety when she had been shot several times by ShinRa soldiers.

Every smell, sound and sight was etched into Yuffie's mind, even the feeling of overwhelming despair and fear of being left alone, while she had tried to shake her mother afterwards, begging the bloody, cold body to come back, that it was time to go home. Her father had found her three days later, and taken the girl home, and that was when her life had changed. _Ahh stop it Yuff. _she told herself chidingly, letting out a ragged breath of air, weak and shallow. _The past is the past, and there's nothing you can do about it now. You never could do anything, I mean look where you are now. Just give it up._

"Yuffie…" She felt herself drifting off, letting go into the current of the Lifestream, separating from body and mind. It was a glorious feeling, she felt giddy and happy to be going. _I feel so good, it's so wonderful…and the best part is, that no one will miss me, heh…._ The trippy delirious feeling receded, and she felt a pang of pain at the thought of not being missed. _I was so horrible, why should they miss me? I did nothing but annoy them, and steal their materia.. I was useless. Maybe, at the beginning, if Sephiroth had killed me instead of Aeris, none of this would have happened._ Depression began to set in as she let go. "….Yuffie!"

Her eyes snapped half way open, a blurry red and black figure stood above her, well crouched actually. She groaned, feeling warm hands lift her head. "My god…" She heard a mans voice whisper. A very, very familiar mans voice. "…….ugh...Vin…cent?" she asked, her voice slow and thick. Two human hands touched her face, cupping it gently as she felt a cushioned warmth beneath her head. That wasn't right, Vincent had a claw that looked like a tarnished golden metal…or was it bronze? Anyways, he had a claw over one hand, it couldn't be him. But, her vision began to clear, she was proven wrong, it _was_ him, and her head was laying on his _lap._

She heard the clang of metal upon metal as the hands left her face, and she strained to see what he was doing. Two, distinctly human hands were on his gold claw, searching for something, and finding it apparently, they pulled out a tiny green, faintly glowing orb. "_Full cure…_" Vincent's deep, melodic voice whispered. Closing her eyes, a familiar green light wafted over her, and Yuffie cringed as minor cuts, bruises and such were closed instantly, each feeling like a needle prick. The deeper cut, one the size of Vincents arm that sliced its way down her back closed slower, eliciting a scream of pain from the girl, for it felt like something was tearing her apart. After the duty had been done, she lay back, her physical injuries healed.

Her head felt still was reeling though, and she was thankful all she had the strength to do was lay there, motionless and seemingly lifeless, upon Vincent's lap, breathing only when she felt she'd die of lack of air. Every muscle was sore, feeling like she had ran a marathon in world record time, then swam several knots as well. Yuffie's fingers and toes were stinging, like she had been numb from cold and heated quickly, as blood flow returned to the frozen limbs. Yuffie knew instinctively she was going to pay for this, pay for all the healing that the materia had done. For, when it healed physical injuries, the pain would come back to the person later, stinging and burning, and it would linger on...she only hoped that when it hit, she could deal with the shock.

**PART THREE**

9:42 p.m. Midgar Ruins, Lower Level.

Yuffie groaned, her body feeling like it had when she had fought Ruby Weapon once again, battered, bruised, and pretty much completely broken. This time however, she was not injured, merely in pain due to the materia that Vincent had healed her with. Full Cure healed quickly, but the recipient still retained the pain of the injury long after it was gone, for hours, even days, sometimes, in rare cases years, afterwards they were incapacitated from the agony. She felt the warmth of enveloping arms holding her body ever so gently, the clomp of feet in gravel, crunching on the rocks and metallic debris, the waft of hair as it slid forward off its owners shoulders and tickled her nose, and the steady rise and fall of an unmistakably man's chest. Sighing heavily, and regretting it as she heard the crack of her ribs, Yuffie tried to snuggle closer, to feel the warmth of her carrier, to feel it permeate her chilled limbs.

To her complete and utter happiness, Yuffie heard and felt the rustle of cloth, and the minor disturbance of her tiny form, before it was enveloped beneath a fragrant cover, the scent unknown to her, yet comforting and old, like that of a worn out blanket, of Vincent's soft red cloak. Her body was hauled against his chest, like a small child, a hand splayed at her lower back to keep her in place as her head was rearranged to lay upon the crook of his neck. Had she been able, Yuffie would have happily wrapped her arms about her macabre savior, but instead, due to the current pain lancing through her arms and legs, which now was akin to being poked with a thousand needles, she lay there, content with the current position of her body. Her arms dangled down, and moved to and fro with each step he took.

Vincents eyes narrowed in the perpetual darkness as he carried his tiny charge, feeling the tremble of her body as she breathed in and out, her breath tickling the ivory skin on his neck, causing tiny bumps to form on the chilled skin. Yuffie coughed a few times, though she soon stopped, he was concerned if the girl had completely healed from her fall, for along with her trembling, she had yet to say more than his name to him. On the way up from the lake outcrop, she had not so much as squealed as he had transformed into Chaos, carrying her in strong arms, lifting them on leathery wings to the safety of the Sector Five Slums, right beneath where they had scheduled to meet after dusk, a small ShinRa branch office located in Sector Five's upper plate.

Yuffie cracked open an eye experimentally, then tried clearing her throat, smiling slightly when she realized she could do both without much pain. Looking up, Yuffie smiled contentedly at the moon, before realizing when it was they had been told to meet the others. Panicking, Yuffie asked shakily "Vincent, we were supposed to be back before the moonrise!" He nodded, replying with a stoic "I know." Gaining some anger induced energy, she poked him with her finger as best she could, in the stomach, though it was much more a meaningless touch with her finger than anything else. "You knew? Well gee, how wonderful. So, did you call them so they knew we'd be late?" Yuffie asked, knowing his answer already. "…No."

"Why not?" She said hoarsely, her equivalent to yelling at the time, trying to poke harder. Suddenly, her carrier set her upon the ground, well, rather dropped her. "Ouch!" she said, hitting her rear on a pretty sharp piece of plastic…metal…whatever was currently beneath her, Yuffie's body weakly managing to hold its upright position, her eyes fixed upon his face. Covered in shadow, cloth and hair, none of the stoic man's expressions, or important facial features for that matter, were visible, and so, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Yuffie looked down. "Why not, you ask?" Vincents voice said a few moments later, causing Yuffie's head to jerk up. His voice was nearer than before, and so was the rest of his form.

"Why not indeed." he said, grabbing both of her arms, pulling Yuffie close to him, face to face. A certain type of anguish, like that of hopelessness, was clearly etched upon his normally expressionless features, as was agony, another emotion she had never seen so clearly before in anyone, even her father at her mothers' loss. "If I had chosen to 'inform' them, and leave you after locating you while I contacted them on the PHS, you could have died, Yuffie. You could be dead, and I would have more to atone for. I did nothing, could do nothing to stop you from letting go, and inadvertently caused you all the pain you feel right now." Yuffie could do nothing but stare, and let her mind contemplate how long it would take him to realize he was cutting off the blood flow to her arms.

"So what?" She replied, feeling tears well in her eyes. "So what if I had died? It doesn't matter, even if it's a sin for you, that doesn't mean that anyone will miss me. It's just the fact that you couldn't stop me that would affect you!" Yuffie tried to jerk back, to pull away, and yet, his fingers retained their icy grip. "I know that the only reason I was with all of you in the end was because I followed you, it's not because I was needed…" The last few words were nothing more than a choked sob, as she gave up her pointless struggle. "…Never because I was needed….I was always a burden. You should have just left me there. It would have been better. You all would have been better off…" a timid whisper, before two stormy eyes lifted to meet crimson, tears leaking from the rims, washing down pale cheeks.

Vincent loosened his grip, listening to the words of the tiny ninja. She felt worthless…A burden was what she believed herself to be. (A/N: Told you I repeat myself.) "Yuffie…" He whispered, hoarsely. She turned from his piercing red stare, biting her lower lip to prevent herself from sobbing. _Leviathan knows I do it enough when I'm alone. I don't need to be doing it in front of one of my, 'friends'… 'comrades', especially Vincent. Damnit Yuffie, DON'T CRY!_ Her mind yelled waspishly. She couldn't bear to look at him. Probably the same distaste was shown in his eyes, like everyone else. A few wispy tendrils of hair snaked down her face, and her eyebrows drew downwards as she closed her eyes in pain as a particularly violent shudder racked her tiny form. "……Come on, we need to arrive at the rendezvous point, or they may send someone out." Vincents voice stated coldly a few minutes later, after he had collectind his wits about him, becoming once more the cold, stoic man that they knew him to be. Gathering her in his arms, heedless of her silent anger and the fact she refused to relax, stiffly remaining in his grip, her eyes closed and a determined expression of distaste fixed upon her lips, Vincent started towards the Plate elevators that would lead to the upper world. Hopefully, his mind mused, they were still active.

**Part Four**

10:48 p.m. Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. (some branch office XD)

"Damnit, where are they?" Cloud slammed his fist upon the bar counter, jarring the glass that stood mere inches from his hand. Running the other gloved appendage through his spiked hair, Cloud cringed when his fingers scraped a stitched wound just above his forehead, hidden by his blonde bangs. In front of him, Tifa rescued a glass that was teetering on the edge of the table from where he had hit it, placing it carefully in the sink and washing it before drying her ungloved fingers with a stained dish towel. Sighing sadly, Tifa patted her friends shoulder, and put a fake smile on her face, saying what a Tifa should say during these situations.

"Don't worry Cloud, I'm sure they're both alright. You'll see, they might have been caught up in something. I bet you they'll be back by morning, you wait and see." He looked up at her, mako eyes meeting her wine colored orbs, and gave her a rueful smile, filled with exhaustion. "You have always been optimistic, haven't you, miss Lockheart." She smiled playfully and stepped back, placing her hands upon her ample hips. "Yeah well, mister Strife, no one else would believe there would be a happy ending, so it's always up to me to keep you all going." He laughed and stood, downing the rest of the liquor in the glass, before handing it to her, the ice clinking in the bottom of the shallow cup. Fingers brushed as she grabbed the item, turning quickly to plunge it into the still steaming sink water. The ice floated to the surface where it began to melt among the suds, much like the brunette wished she could do.

"You were the only one who thought we could do it." She heard from behind her, and turned, seeing a rather grim looking Cloud. It was only now, after the battle, that the toll the stress of the constant fighting had on his body was now visible. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his mouth was pulled down at the corners. Too much had this young man been through, that fact would have been evident to anyone. "…" Without a reply, Tifa turned back towards the sink, washing the glass and drying it quickly. Setting the glass down in the rack, alongside the other clean dishes, Tifa dried her hands with the plaid dishrag, running the slightly damp material over her fingers, red from the heat of the water. She touched them together, intertwining the digits, nervously, as she chewed her lower lip. _I should tell him… _"Cloud? I…I…" She tried, her face aflame as she desperately tried to get the words out. "Yeah?" He replied, nonchalantly, not knowing what it was she wanted so dearly to admit.

_I can't...not yet…oh I'm such a coward…_ "N...never...never mind Cloud. Um...I'll tell you later…" She said shakily, before running off, through the connective doorway that led to the ShinRa employee lounge. "Tifa?" Cloud called after her, worried. "…." He stood, and brushed off the thick fabric of his pants, bits of dust and debris littering the clean swept floor. Thick soles of his boots clopped on the wood as he stepped back from the barstool, watching as the rotating seat turned from his body movement, thick red plastic covered leather cushion 'whooshing' as air refilled the somewhat permeable fabric, puffing back to its former glory. Walking towards the connecting doorway, he watched the graceful sway of her hips beneath the thick leather skirt as she neared the grand piano she had watched a woman play at earlier. Her fingers, bare and vulnerable without their usual hardened leather, metal coverings, the leather armor that had made the woman seem so impenetrable.

She had pulled her hair over one shoulder, her right hand's fingers playing at the silken chocolate brown strands as they cascaded down one side of her front. Tifa was humming, lowly, the tune light and slow as she walked, her feet, still clad in her trusty hiking boots, the heels clicking lightly on the polished wooden floor. The low light of the intricately designed glass covered candle lighting on the walls illuminated her skin, the darkness of the room making it pale yet rosy. The wine colored eyes were a deep russet brown in the yellowish lighting, as small shadows played over her features. The smooth white of her tank flowed over her 'ample bosom' (to say the least), magnified a bit, though unintentionally on her part, by the thick leather suspenders that kept up her skirt as she moved, being the active person she was. Her muscular legs moved with the innate womanly sway that most females flourished.

He watched, leaning on the doorway, arms crossed against his chest, a tightness settling in that pulled at his heart. She had unconsciously made her way towards the highly polished grand piano, black with the dull glaze sheen, red candles glowing atop it surface, setting a romantic amber glow across the area surrounding the piano. VIP seats were near by, thick cushions of crushed red velvet against the same black polished painted wood that made up the piano. Tifa stared at the ivory keys, bright white against the pitch black of the smaller inset keys above them. Her fingers trailed lovingly across the sparkling, spotless keys, eyes trailing with wonder. "…" She looked one way, then the other, before she sat down upon the polished bench, her fingers moving over the keys expertly, a clear tune ringing out with each strike during her practice test.

Smiling, Tifa gently placed her fingers once more atop the ivory peaks, and began to play, slowly. Cloud pondered the tune as she played the intro, knowing the song was famous somewhere. After a few mishaps with the tune, Tifa cringed, and stopped, placing her fingers over the keys, smoothing the thin rectangles with each finger. Cloud watched with a bit of amusement as she played invisibly, practicing the tune before she touched the keys again. Soon, she began to play once more, the keys slowly being pressed as she concentrated on the music. Her melodic voice, gentle and soft slowly filled the room as Tifa began to song.

_"Sometimes I feel so all alone,_

_Finding myself callin' your name..._

_When we're apart, so far away,_

_Hopin' it's me that you're thinkin' of..._

_Could it be true, could it be real?_

_My heart says that you're the one..._

_There's noone else, you're the only one for me._

_Yes, this time my love's the real thing._

_Never felt that love is so right._

_The world seemed such an empty place._

_We need someone we could give our all._

_Baby, it's you, we'll be together now and forever..."_

END OF PART ONE: Yeah...um...I re-worked it. Edited and such. Gotta do part two. But...I don't know when this or SV will be finished. Maybe I said this at the top, I donno, but right now, I feel too...yeah. I don't think I can write anymore. Part two is going to be...shorter...I hope. Sorry about stopping it here...- maybe. Sorry about the reviews in a 'new story' I did have this up...but somehow it got deleted - Damn you sister dearest.


	2. Almost But Not Quite

**A/N**: Wooowww I'm actually getting started shortly after I post. . My last post was waaay long, but never fear, if you want it shorter, shorter it will be! that's why it only gets like one review Hahaha. But all my reviewers are so nice… (dabs eye with tissue)

Not like anyone's waiting with bated breath anything…

Er…never mind.

So, Recognition goes where it is due….

**Emri** Wow, you're such an awesome reviewer! The third time you've read this? 00 wow! I was almost going to make that happen…then he didn't because… I DON'T KNOW! AHH!

**Griever Weapon** I'm writing more…are you sure you'll die if I stop? Well, I guess it's best not to take the risk! Soo…I guess I'm going to write away now?

**Neko-Yuff16** I love that feeling of being famous, don't you? I'm happy I made my reviewers happy…..and Yes, I have seen, downloaded, and saved every picture/animation/movie related to Advent Children. - Bwahaha. I know, everyone is almost sexy! Cid is not old, he's like 34. 

**Sorceress Fujin** (bows) of course there's more

**Banana Peel** Your name rocks. haha it was superb? Awesome! I'm so glad! I'm sooo happy everyone enjoys what I write. It really boosts my already over-inflated ego! Bwahaha!

**Part 5**

11:07 p.m Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar.

Tifa sighed gently as she set herself away from the piano keys, pushing the stool back along the carpet ever so gently. Tiny indentations in the soft, velvety floor cover showed the path her feet took along with the stool. Standing, Tifa gently brought a hand to her chest, just above her heart, listening to the soft steady beats as they pitter pattered against her rib cage. Sucking in a lungful of the permanently smoke filled air, she exhaled, lowering her eye lids exhaustedly as she stepped away from the grand piano. Turning, about to head back towards the bar to finish cleaning, she stopped in her tracks.

Eyes lifting up, she felt the heavy thump of a large hand touching her shoulder, her eyes catching sight of a deep rich purple shirt. Eyes trailing upwards, following the gentle lines that were etched into the thin cloth, she stopped when the cloth abruptly ended, showing off the man's neck. A gentle hand, forefinger extended, tipped her chin upwards the last bit of the trip upwards. From the well defined muscles, to the tanned skin, adams apple, chin, admittedly well formed, lips, straight nose, up into those incredible mako blue eyes. Sucking another breath as best she could, shallow, more as a pant would be, Tifa's eyes locked, wine upon the blue that challenged even Costa De Sol's beautiful Caribbean waters in brilliant shocking color, Cloud's eyes.

"Cloud-" She tried, though it came out more of a broken gasp then the controlled way she had meant it. "I-you…you didn't hear me, did you?" Tifa said, embarrassed, hoping, though she knew it was impossible, that he had not heard her declaration of love within the words of the song. "I heard you alright" He said, smirking, the kind that you would want to smack off though you knew you never would, never wanting to mar the perfect complexion. Tifa felt the blush burning her cheeks, could feel the heat as it warmed her slightly cool skin. "heh….I'm-embarrassed." she finished lamely, a more Cloud-like verse than he himself usually spoke.

"I noticed…" was the only reply as he blinked, reopening his eyes, letting the lids stand at half mast like hers did. She felt her face practically burst into flames as he stared at her with that quiet intensity, the kind she had always secretly longed for, though she'd die if anyone ever knew. Smiling more broadly, the black gloved hand, strong and large, that had tilted her chin previously, snaked upwards, cupping her cheek. She felt his thumb brush over the sensitive skin just below her eyes, where her dimples were usually most prominent when she laughed, stroking softly. "So…" he whispered softly, his face nearing hers. "You going to tell me who you were singing about, Miss Lockh-"

Suddenly, a loud pounding alerted the two, the sound of metal clanging against the reinforced steel door of the 'office branch headquarters', effectively breaking the two apart. Pushing away from Cloud, Tifa hurried to the door, unbolting it, unchaining, turning the dead bolt, unlocking the door, using the security key, pulling the heavy steel open. Rain pelted her face as the wind blew angrily, gusting terribly, the slightly acidic scent of traffic and water permeating through the room. Stepping back, Tifa gasped, and Cloud moved quickly to her side.

Cloak billowing into the room, each step a loud thunk of metal upon carped strewn concrete, Vincent Valentine made an overdue appearance. Yuffie was held betwixt his arms, one covered with a simple black, fingerless glove, the other in a demonic claw. Her eyes were shut, brows pulled down, her face contorted into one of agonizing pain as Vincent pulled them both from the rain, lightning clashing, thunder crashing overhead. "Vincent thank god you're both-oh my! Yuffie!" She suddenly cried out, noticing the tattered shards of the girls shirt back, the slightly pink and red scars that ran like welts down her the paled skin. "What happened to her!" She gasped as Cloud quickly shut the door behind Vincent as he stepped further in, sopping wet, dripping the brackish water upon the ground.

"Not now," Vincent dismissed her with those two swift words, "We must get her to a bed first. Bring pain medication as well Tifa…then I'll tell you what happened." His voice, harsh and commanding, giving indication and further evidence that he still retained some of his Turk leadership qualities, spurred the brunette to quickly disappear into the bar, returning with a bottle of ibuprofen. "Cloud, bring some towels and meet me in 102-A, we'll set her up in there." She said, receiving a nod in return, each to their own mission.

No longer than ten minutes later, Vincent lay the girl upon the soft quilted cushion of the bed, turning her over so that she lay upon her stomach, the welt-like scars facing him, painful reminders of her sacrifice. Though using the full cure materia had been a last minute option, Vincent felt guilt pangs slowly claw at his heart, what was left of it anyways, remorse flooding his flaming eyes. "…ugh…"

Yuffie coughed against the pillow, still shuddering a bit from the pain. "…Vin….cent?" She called, feeling the gunman near her. He spoke quietly, though it seemed to echo within the cold silent room. "Yes, what is it?" She clutched the quilt beneath her, sucking in lungful of air raggedly. "My back…it's on fire…I hurts…Vinc-" with another cough, her fingers went limp, and she exhaled, laying limply upon the blankets. Rushing to her side, Vincent placed his forefinger and middle finger upon her neck, checking for a pulse.

_She's okay…_ his mind breathed a sigh of relief, as he stood, adjusting his cloak. The pain must have been immense, to knock her out, his mind added in. Such a resilient little ninja, she had not even passed out during the battles in the Northern Crater, usually being the one to heal the party. Tifa rushed in shortly afterwards, and he had stood a few feet away, watching as the brunette slowly ran her fingers over the cuts. "This isn't good Vincent." she said a few minutes later, turning to the gunman. "Well, it…" She thought for a few seconds, finding the right words to describe it. "It's like the blood beneath the skin doesn't know that the wound has healed over, and seems to want to escape." The younger woman looked to him for his decision, and he already knew what she intended to do. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Do what you need to do to heal the girl." Tifa cringed, and called Cloud in, watching him bring a few hot towels and a bowl of boiling water mixed with what smelled of disinfectant. Drawing a knife, she looked at Vincent. "This is going to be…bloody."

A/N: I know it's not much, but I felt I needed to post SOMETHING, you know? Besides…it was a good place to stop. - Review if you want to, constructive criticism is always appreciated. I just wanted a bit of the good 'ol Cloud and Tifa fluffy…somewhat. Soo..yeah. Now, shoo! Shoo! Go read something better while I watch the "State of The Union Address"


	3. On The Edge of Insanity

A/N: Bleh….bleh bleh bleh. TI will never be able to make this as long as the other! I just re-opened it, and it's 10 pages! 10! I'm such a loser, I'll never do as well as that first part. I am a crappy writer, craptastic, totally and absolutely sucky! Er…now that I've gotten that out of the way…On with the pitiful amount I managed to type, ruthlessly killing my fingers in the process! Man…putting the same amount of detail in this is hard…- That 80's song, "under pressure" is pounding in my brain right now. Sorry it took so long to post! Oh, I changed a bit in both previous chapters. Nothing worth re-reading it for, just some spelling crap that I caught while re-writing.

I was reading on a website I go to for writing help…of course I still suck, but hey, I'm only 15 soo…anyways, I found this incredibly cute quote on the "Perfect Hero" by Teresa Meridos. "A romantic hero, no matter how flawed, should always be willing to run into a burning building to rescue a basket of kittens."

PS: How I rationalize the "Demon claw" being fake, if you see the Dirge Of Cerberus Offical Vincent Action Figure, on the palm side you see the bronze is attached by small rings to the gloves…so, it's fake. Bwaha!

Reviewer Responses (Short 'n Sweet):

**Neko-Yuff16** Haven't you said that before? It looks so familiar…

**Noriko** -Yeah and now you know how the welty's go away. Thank you so much, and I'm glad you love the CT fluffiness.

**Commander Cheddar** Okay, okay, I'm SORRY for the short chapter. Sheesh. If you REALLY like SV, why don't you review it? Hehehe, thank you for your shameless flattery, I'll make this post longer, I SWEAR, if only to appease you.

**NeonRaine** Another Fujin clone! Hehehe, it's not bad, but all it is is a 'update soon'. How do I know what I did wrong?

**VAOS** Your name is too much to type.. Nah I just don't feel like putting in stuff. I will continue! See? CONTINUATION!

**Emri** Believe me, I even posted the doll photo's on my blog. I WANT DOC SO BAD! If you knew anything about my Vincent obsession you would not have had to ask any of that XD. As for the last part…. Belittling myself is fun?

PS: Have I mentioned that you're the best reviewer EVER?

**Part 8**

12:43 a.m. Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. 2nd Floor, Guestroom 102-A.

"_And behind the sky, in the tomorrow my heart depicts,_

_In that same place, I'll be right by your side once more,_

_Surely we'll be together from now on, plunging ahead through these days,_

_Because there could be a meaning to all of this after all…"_

_(Nami Tamaki - Believe)_

Sleep…." Tifa murmured, gently placing her hands upon the smooth black hair, strands falling limply between her fingers, over and under, tangling themselves naturally. The sound of jingling was heard, echoing in the pressured silence of the room, the noise as Tifa's materia bangle shook, the bright green orb shaking dutifully as it was activated. A greenish light of comfort sped over the tiny ninja's body, and she went limp, relaxed, and the spell was so heavily casted that the one who had used the spell was assured her target would not wake from her dreamless rest until a counter spell was used. Looking, almost with a reprimanding gleam in her wine colored eyes at the two men behind her, the woman stated "Well, you know you can go now, right?" Cloud, who obviously was only meaning the best, replied with, "You might need help Tifa, I mean, you've never had to do this before. It's only happened once in the group before, and then, it was something small like a cut on the arm. I want to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

A sort of grumble escaped her ruby lips, sounding like something among the lines of, "Oh really, let's see YOU do it…" before she said clearly, though her voice a bit shaky, "Fine, but don't stare." Reaching her hands into the hot sterilized water, Tifa cringed as the steamy, poignant smell of medicinal liquid enveloped the nostrils of those who inhabited the room, the thick mist enveloped Tifa's pale fingers, heading straight down towards the searing water. Biting her lower lip, setting her jaw, she plunged the digits in, knowing that to perform something so dangerous one must prepare themselves fully. Any tiny infection could be fatal in this procedure, as was proven in many ancient civilizations. Tifa remembered reading about them once, when she was younger, still in school in Nibelheim. The texts had been boring then, but now she realized their importance, especially in the face of saving comrade.

Grasping the knife in red fingers, feeling the pinpricks as blood rushed into the digits, she drew it from the steamy mess and gasped as the cool air chilled the heated flesh. The red intensified to the color one gets during an infection, that inflamed red, the kind that was obviously painful for anyone who even bared to look at it, and behind her, she could sense Cloud's discomfort in watching. "If you don't want to see…" she said in a more stern voice than normal, the pitch dropping lower as she gasped in pain, aware of the thousand needles of pain now ruthlessly covering each millimeter of exposed, reddened skin. "…Than don't watch." She finished, using a tone that meant there was to be no further discussion, like a mother scolding a small child. Cloud opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by a slight shake of Vincents head, smooth ebony hair falling about his scarlet cloak, uncovering that red eyed glare that kept many a man silent on numerous occasions.

Looking down, Cloud merely clenched his fists, feeling his short, chipped fingernails cut through the glove tips into the incasing leather sheathe upon his palm. It was like he could feel her pain, the inner turmoil, the pain of the water, the pain of their friend as she lay upon the bed, and Cloud wanted nothing more than to rip the hilt of the knife from her fingers and do the job himself. Beside him, Vincent watched eyes flickering back and forth between the brunette and the swordsman. Suddenly, Tifa's pensioned exclamation ceased his wandering mind. "I'm sorry Yuffie…" She spoke the three words in little more than a whisper, her back turned towards them, over the tiny shinobi. He watched with macabre curiosity as the knife led a silvery path towards the girl, then winced inwardly at the sickening sound of steel cutting flesh seemed louder than anything they had ever heard before. The overwhelming scent of blood caused Vincent to stagger back mentally, though his body stayed obediently in place.

A choked noise escaped Tifa's lips as she watched the blood, thick and hot, pour from Yuffie's tiny body, a seemingly endless amount of red, surely far too much for someone of her stature. Almost immediately Tifa tried to harden herself from the sight, for god knows she had seen worse happen to complete strangers. She tried, choked back the nausea, the bile rising in her throat, tasting its bitter flavor upon her tongue, and reached for one of the prim white towels. Pressing it to the cut, she felt it grow damp beneath her as blood soaked the fluffy white cotton. "oh god…" she gasped out when she pulled the cloth away, seeing that the two by two cloth was almost completely soaked with the scarlet liquid of life.

Turning away, she whispered throatily, "Cloud….this is horrible…there's so much...so much blood…" Immediately both men were at her side, each with their own unique expression of horror. She had not known where to begin, and therefore, Tifa had started with the largest of the cuts, unfortunately located near a vein. Blood had gushed out in result of this ignorance. Trembling, fearing that she had done something bad, Tifa stepped back, her eyes wide and empty. A warm hand, comforting and large pressed against her back. Looking up, her body still trembling, Tifa's eyes locked with warm blue ones. "It's okay...she'll be okay Tifa.."

"I will take it from here. Take your leave." A low, cold voice stated near her side, to the front by a few feet.

"Vincent?" Tifa turned towards him in shock, seeing his hands move slowly upwards to grasp the buckles on his cloak. Excruciatingly slow and thorough with the task, Vincent removed each brass buckled strap that held the red cloak to his face, his eyes emotionless, blank. Pulling off the cloak slowly, Tifa watched as his face was gradually exposed, his neck, shoulders…then it was off. Vincents cloak had been removed, his protection, his outer shell. Black cotton was revealed, his shirt, crisp and clean despite the battles they had endured, mild wear its only noticeable reminder of use. A high collar, almost Wutain style as it ended halfway up his neck, pieces of a whole bound together with polished, shining black buttons that neared the white hemming. The hem extended around the neck, moving down his chest more to the right, every half-inch or so another black button gleaming slightly in the light.

Sleeves, like that of a dress shirt, a little loose, though only to serve for more of a form fit, cut off at the elbow, brought in around the last few inches, like a cuff of sorts. His hands, pale and smooth-two hands? "Vincent-your claw-where-" She gasped out, Yuffie's pain pushed momentarily out of her mind. Eyes fixed momentarily upon hers, and he merely said "It's not needed." Nothing more, nothing less. A direct statement, using what was needed, and only what was needed. Vincent never was one for idle chitchat.

"Tifa…lets go." Cloud said, a bit forcefully, willing the woman to move. He was as shocked that their stoic companion had willingly offered to take care of the matter, maybe, quite possibly more so than Tifa, and more than shocked at the removal of the claw and cloak. She remained fixed in her position, eyes still wide as saucers, disbelief written all over her face. "This isn't real…" she whispered. "This whole day…it was just a dream, was it not? Cloud.." she whispered, her wine orbs closing in pain. "It's a nightmare…I-" "Shh…come on." This time, not taking her stiffness as an answer, Cloud gently steered the woman from the room, pulling the door closed behind him. As the final inch slid shut, Cloud whispered lightly, sure that the gunman heard his words, "Good luck."

_As with you, Cloud._ Vincent replied mentally, dunking his pale fingers into the steamy mist that covered the porcelain bowl. He scrubbed them thoroughly in the still hot water, each crevice in his fingers, each calloused, each millimeter of perfectly pale skin scrubbed to pink clean perfection. Taking the knife in his fingers, Vincent prepared himself to complete the task that Tifa had begun. Removing the towel to reveal the already clotted blood caked upon the cut, he noticed tiny pinprick sized droplets forming once more where the towel had removed parts of the still soft scabbing. Four more of the same. "…." Grimacing, he brought the sharp steel down, a slow motion sweeping arc, cutting the tender skin beneath just beneath her shoulder in one smooth motion. He watched with little interest as blood flowed freely, its rich scarlet color staining the skin that it kissed with its flowing touch. Taking another of the towels, Vincent carefully wadded up one end, eyes calculating the pressure needed to safely administer the thick cloth.

**Part 9**

1:32 a.m. Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. 2nd Floor, Guestroom 133-B.

"Tifa, calm down! It's going to be okay!" For the fifth time since he had dragged her to this room, Cloud was restraining the brunette bombshell with all his strength. His arms surrounded hers, gripping tightly, digging into her firm skin. The intimacy of the position, while normally would have been noticed, noted, and furthermore quickly ended was unnoted now, his front to her back, arms encircling tightly. She struggled wildly, her voice rough as she cried, again for the fifth or so time, "Damnit it's been too long Cloud! If anything happens to her, it'll be my fault! Let me go! Let me check up on her!"

Turning her swiftly, Cloud wrapped his arm about her slender waist, holding the woman firmly against his chest. She beat at his statue-like figure ruthlessly before going limp, her fingers clutching into the soft worn material of his shirt as tightly as she could, sobbing quietly, tears streaming down her face. He felt the warmth of the salty liquid as it soaked through his thick sweater shirt, darkening the spots it touched, from the Soldier purple to an almost ebony color. "Oh god, Cloud, I-" He nodded slightly, resting his chin upon the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair as he stroked her back with reassuring hands. "It's okay. I don't think that Vincent would let anything happen to her." Suddenly, he heard the slap of her fist as it pounded her palm. "If something does happen to her, " she commented with a half joke, though he knew as well as her she was completely serious, "I'll kill him." He nodded, taking the opportunity to nuzzle a bit into her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her rose shampoo deeply, before setting her back a bit, his hands gripping her forearms tightly.

"Tifa.. I know you're worried…but you have to trust that she'll be okay. Yuffie is strong, like you, and she wouldn't give into death no matter what. They'd have to drag her, kicking and screaming all the way if they wanted her that badly." he heard her give a sort of giggle, choked a bit from her tears but amused none the less. "That's the Tifa I know.." he said, gently nudging her face up with a finger below her chin. She had not noticed the movement, the way he had once again slid close to her, this time warmly embracing with one arm, the other slyly moving towards her face. She looked up again, seeing that look again. Those vibrant mako blue-green eyes, the emotion that they held in the gaze was one that would mark a woman's soul. Blushing, she tried something, anything to get away. Tifa was afraid, afraid of heartbreak, of loving him too much, the leader whom she had admired throughout her entire life, the seemingly rock solid man who had more cracks than anyone could ever had imagined.

But she felt as if she were a pebble constructed monument, and that with one tiny slip, one wrong word, she would shatter, into a million pieces, flying away upon the zephyr of a thousand ages, joining the ashes of those who had come long before. Desperate, she turned her eyes away, breaking the spell that those incredible eyes had spun. "Cloud…" He would not let her hide. Backing her against the wall, Cloud pinned her swiftly, and using both hands, he forced the woman to look at him once more. "Tifa." Verbal tag was not what he had wanted, and by god, Cloud was going to get Tifa to tell him what really was disturbing her if it took all night. "It's not just Yuffie that has you worried," he said firmly without any other sort of preamble, "There's something else. I've noticed lately that something is nagging you. Tell me Tifa, what is wrong? We're friends, right?"

_We're friends, right?_ Tifa let out a broken sob. She didn't want to be 'friends' with Cloud strife. Damnit all, it was going in circles within her mind. She was so confused, so very confused, and the closeness of Cloud, the feeling that he was surrounding her, did not help one bit. "I don't know Cloud, honestly I don't…" she whispered, lids falling down to mask the pain in her eyes. Suddenly, she could feel his breath upon her face, could smell his musky scent stronger than ever. The sensation of his hands running down her arms made Tifa feel giddy, strange, embarrassed. Wine colored eyes slowly gazed upwards, found that Cloud's nose was near her forehead. His lips, smooth and a shade darker than his skin, gently pressed against the spot between her eyebrows, the sensitive skin where her nose ended and her forehead began. He had just kissed her. Repeat, Cloud Strife, had just kissed Tifa Lockheart. In her mind, it did not matter that he had kissed her forehead, it was still a kiss and a kiss was surely a form of intimacy…Wasn't it? "Cloud-" His lips gently caressed the bridge of her nose, and he stroked her hair gently, cupping her face with his left palm.

"Again with the verbal tag, Tifa? Be quiet, will you? You're beginning to sound like Yuffie…" He whispered, smiling down at her. Tifa was about to make a retort, miffed at the teasing he had playfully bestowed, opening her mouth to speak when his mouth covered hers. A silent gasp as his lips slowly pressed against hers, sliding like silk upon silk, smoother than the finest woven cloth. Clouds other hand slowly moved upwards, electric in its touch upon her trembling skin. Her eyes widened as he cupped her face now with both hands, turning her head a little for better access to her mouth. Her mind, somewhere among the melted bits, tried to rationalize this before she silenced it ruthlessly. Tifa had never been kissed, and hadn't expected her first to be so…thorough. Wondering whether to try a protest, or wrap her arms around the man. So many idle day dreams about her first kiss, each different than the last, no matter how romantic any had been, it didn't compare. Blushing, Tifa let her eyes slide shut, and placing her hands upon his chest, they ran upwards to encircle his neck before pulling the man closer.

**Part 10**

2:07 a.m. Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. 2nd Floor, Guestroom 102-A.

A sigh of relief made its way through Vincent's lips as he set aside the paper wrappings, having just completed the bandaging of Yuffie's injuries. The worst was over, and though the girl had lost quite a bit of blood, with time she would recover..physically anyways. Moving to the bowl of water, Vincent picked it up tiredly, carrying it towards the bathroom. Once inside the prim white porcelin room, he dumped it into the large luxury tub, pouring the contents and the bowl into the steamy water. Beneath the bubbles of the disenfectant wash that had been added, the towels could be seen, the red stains slowly disappearing. The slight scent of bleach added a twang to the disinfectant, both killing any bacteria or germ that may or may not be harmful. Moving towards the sink, the glow in his eyes almost completely faded, the only real way that one could tell his exhaustion. Grabbing the soap from the side of the sink in one hand, Vincent turned the chrome plated tap to the right, and almost at once steaming hot water poured, splashing into the depths of the sink before swirling down the drainage system.

Momentarily, Vincent could see it again, Yuffie's tiny form as she disappeared, the spray of water over the edge of the steaming cauldron, the way she had looked when he had found her… When knocked out, her face held none of its childishness, only once hidden stress lines and a halo of maturity. He had thought her dead, though obviously that was untrue. When those silvery eyes had opened, before they had cleared of the foggy mist of one who had reached the shadows of death, he had noticed an overwhelming dispair and fear within their cloudy depths. "…" _Were you not the same, Valentine? Beneath that stone faced façade, were you not fearful of her life? Even when she began to regain a bit of her strength, did it not frighten you when she tried to move, causing you to drop her? And when Tifa so unskillfully sliced too close to that vein-_Vincent silently reprimanded his mind, sealing it with a shake of his head. Moving his hands beneath the stinging hot water, Vincent vigorously washed them before removing the appendages from the stream, watching as the water sluiced and dripped off the pale, slightly pink skin.

As Vincent turned towards the door to wipe his hands upon the fluffy soft, white towelette that held the ShinRa insignia in the lower white corner, something in the doorway caught the attention of one of his vibrant red eyes. The sound of wheezing caught his ears, and as he stared at the figure, it took a step forward, becoming enveloped in the flourescent white light, unlike the dull lamps that had lit the other room. "Yuffie-" Turning towards him, the girl stumbled forward, a look of desperation on her face. "Vincent!" Moving quickly, he caught her as she fell towards the floor, lifting her effortlessly. "Yuffie, should you not be resting?" She gripped his shirt weakly, almost as if in protest as he lay her once more upon the bed. "It hurts-" She stammered, refusing to let go. "My back is….on fire…" He gently managed to pry the digits from his shirt, settling her back. Her tiny hands clutched his now, and tearfully, she whispered, "Don't leave me.. Please! I'm afraid….I'm going to die…"

"_Sleep…"_The spell washed over her, and with a flump, Yuffie fell back against the thick pillows, unconscious once more. "…I won't let you die Yuffie.." Came a silent whisper as the lights faded along with the consciousness of the man who slumped down next to the girl. Exhaustion overtook Vincents body, and like his tiny charge, he slept.

A/N: It's longer, it is…and wow, almost six pages. The fourth chapter should be out soon! Love love to everyone who has reviewed, and I'll see you….whenever I finish the next part. I swear I'll make it at least 7 before I churn it out, okay? Smooches to you all!

I AM Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing!..okay not really. Love, Rei-chan.


	4. Apology

**A/N: **Er…I think I turned the last chapter into a mushy OOC fest, didn't I? I'm sorry. Hmm…nothing to say really. I guess I'll get started then. flips through pages Now...where'd I leave off? Oh, okay, got it. Hmm…I was thinking today…about the Gundam Series. G Wing has to be my favorite, but because of Invoke (and my undying love for all things T.M. Revolution... but we won't get into that, now shall we?) I'd have to pick Seed as the one with the best music…..er…that was random. Again.

**SUMMARY**: Will Yuffie ever wake up? Will Vinnie realize his feelings? Will we find out what exactly happened between Cloud and Tifa! Gasp! Is this the end of the fanfic? Unfortunately, the answer to most of these questions, and many others, is most likely no.

PS: ….I only answered one in this chapter. oops. This was the second half of the last chapter, what was going to be added in..but wasn't. Forgive me! The real part 5 should be out….probably in two weeks or so. Um..well, it'll be part 6 I guess..but still.

**WARNING**-Starting on the 11th of March, you will no longer see **Scarlet Valentine** on I will be taking the story down, **_not permanently_** of course, to completely _fix the plot holes_, and also _add _the much needed _clarification _and _detail _that were left out during the 10-25th chapters. **_Please, be patient_**. Thank you very much for reading it so far, and look for it on the 25th.((This warning will be posted on SV as well as on my profile))

PS: anyone seen **Avatar: The Last Air Bender**? It's so cute! Eee! Yes, I still watch Nickelodeon. DANNY PHANTOM ROCKS! Hehehe, I'm a dork! Yip Yip!

Reviewer Responses (Because someone out there loves me!…wow more reviews than normal! Yay! Short and Sweet- Gotta get to the story, yep yep.):

**Windkitsune21** Wow a completely new reviewer! Thank you very much for reviewing, and hehe, I'm glad you like it. I must continue? I suppose I shall! I think you did a good job as well on your fanfic! Keep it up!

**Griever Weapon**…you got problems. Not so many update things please, they make the window stretch on forever. But that's okay, I guess. Thank you very much for the review. I have updated!

**Emri** Good point, I don't know where it went…I'll er….say something about it in this chapter.. Hmm..

**Ruri-sugar** I believe you are right about your assumption. Hehehe, Tifa didn't get courage, but Cloud sure did-er…thank you very much for your review!

**Noriko** Hahaha, I'm sorry I made you sick…oh I'm singing to Madonna right now…"I made it through the wilderness…somehow I made it throu-"…er…sorry.

**Yuffie Kisaragi2** Okie dokie, I'm working as hard as I can to update asap!

**NeonRaine** Thanks for your compliment, and what I mean by what I said is that Fujin says the same thing most of the time XD!

**Neko-Yuff16** Hahaha, I do! I know it was cool (shameless), actually, I'm just kidding. I'm a HUGE cloti fan, and…Aeris is okay if she's paired with Sephy-kun…but yeah she bugs me too. Sometimes. When fanfic authors make her buggy and stuff.

**Eternalstar180** I should? Thanks for the compliments, hehe, I'm so embarrassed. Eeep! Now, why would I let the yuffster die?

"_We swore one day to build the future with our own hands,  
At any cost, on this planet, no matter where on it you are,  
And now the two of us stand with pained eyes and glances diverted,  
But I believe we'll be able to meet again..."_

_(Nami Tamaki-Believe _((Yes, I do like that song))

**Part 11**

8:23 a.m. Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. 2nd Floor, Guestroom 102-A.

The harsh sound of ragged breathing filled the tiny, sorrowfully empty room. Sunlight filtered through the lacy curtains, sprinkling its fake cheer through the brightened space, doing nothing to abate the permeating feeling of worry and sickness. Flowers set in their water filled vases adorned an intricate, meticulously carved and glossed wooden bedside table, filling the room with their ornate and unique colors. The wallpaper was washed in shadow and light, tiny, cream colored 'flowers' dipping their way across the fading gray paper. The carpet was prim and soft and very, very white, a small reddish black dark discoloration near the bed, otherwise scrubbed, washed, and otherwise cleaned, like the rest of the room, to perfection. Beneath the bed, the dull gleam of a copper claw could be seen, poking from beneath the sheets as if it were a child playing a game of hide and go seek.

A large dresser, carved of the same dark oak as the bedside table stood near an arched doorway that led to a bathroom, a closet on the side across from the window. Next to it, a white washed door, closed, its brassy shined handle gleaming as the morning sun danced upon its metallic surface. Beside the bed two chairs, sat, both lined with soft, red cloth and cushioned to make sitting an easier job on the inhabitant. The chair closest to the headboard, near a light switch that turned on a lamp that only faintly glowed (for 'romantic atmosphere' it was said), was weighted down by an inhabitant. This person was not the one who made the slightly annoying raspy sounds, but lay quietly, head near the pillow of the noise offender. Upon the smooth white sheets of the bed, a young teenage lady lay, lips slightly parted, breathing. In and out, in and out, the same pattern, hundreds of times an hour, thousands or millions of times per day, in and out, in and out in that same, ancient as time itself, pattern. It was maddening.

Suddenly, the girl let out a cough, startling the male figure swathed in red cloth, causing him to lurch upwards, immediately alert. Noting after a few moments that it was only his sleeping companion, Vincent Valentine slid back down to sit upon his cushioned chair, eyes fixed on the sleeping girls face. "Yuffie.." She had still not awoken. Each day they brought fresh flowers. Each day the family of the boy would visit, bringing with them another vase filled with exotic, rich scented flowers only grown in Midgar, praying for her before giving the stoic man a sad look and a whispered apology. So far, sitting upon the bedside table, eight glass vases were placed, each filled with glittering, glistening clear water and freshly cut flowers. Vincents eyes closed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing gently, the thoughts of the first day's visit running through his mind accompanied by a now familiar

_(Flashback)_

"_Mister Valentine…I came to say hello to miss Yuffie today. Is she awake yet?" The little boy's arms were wrapped around a rather large flower filled glass vase, hand blown with great skill and glisteningly clear, scrubbed to perfection, and he looked as if he was about to drop it with each step he took towards the bed. "…" came Vincents silent reply as he merely took the flower container gently from the child's thin, small arms, and walked towards the unconscious girl, setting it upon the bedside table with great care. "..I'm afraid not. Not yet. I'm sorry." Tifa said gently, raising a hand to push a stray lock of hair behind her ear, standing near the ninja, eyes worry filled and exhausted. With a dejected nod of his tiny head, the boy spoke quietly, his voice filled with disappointment._

"_Oh..okay. Can you tell her, for me, that when she wakes up, if I'm not there, that I wanna play with her? She seemed real nice, you know." His mother called from the doorway, too frightened of the wrath of Vincent Valentine that could be brought upon her for letting their team mate end up in such a bad way. "Come now, let us not disturb them any longer. Miss Yuffie needs her rest Cris, okay? Besides, we need to meet with Grandma soon, it's almost lunch time." The boy nodded, but before running into his mothers arms to be carried outside into the ruined city, Cris wrapped his tiny, chubby arms about Vincents slender legs, nuzzling the soft cloth. Shocked, the silent gunman did nothing to stop him, but merely stared down over the collar of the cape with slightly curious red eyes, their fiery glow somehow sad, and yet filled with compassion for the small boy. _

"_Before me and momma go, I was 'posed to thank you for saving me yesterdays, Mister Valentine. I forgot to tell you then, cause I was so scared and wet and stuff. When Miss Yuffie wakes up, I want to tell her thank you too. Would you be mad if I came back to visit? Or, is it okay that I come? I really, really want to tell her thank you." He merely nodded, the ebony hair falling about his face as he reached down, picking the child up. As he carried the child to his mother, he whispered, "I am sure she wants to hear it too, so make sure you come back and tell her." Smiling with pure glee, the boy clapped his arms about Vincents neck, hugging tightly. He handed Cris to his mother, who gave him a short bow and quickly made an exit, chiding her son softly._

_Tifa placed a hand upon her companions shoulder, worried. Vincent stood there, head bowed, hands fisted, slightly trembling. "I'm…fine. Go Tifa, and tell those who are leaving that I give them my goodbyes. For now, I am staying here." She gave him a warm, understanding smile, patting his shoulder briefly. "Of course. I know what you mean, Vincent. She appreciates it, more than you know…I'd better go now, you look exhausted." Tifa could sense the inner turmoil, and being the kind of person who wont pry into others business, she left him be. "I'm going to see Cid, Barret and Marlene off… I don't know if Nanaki is leaving yet, but I'll tell them you said 'goodbye.'…oh yeah…and, Vincent, try to get some rest." Vincent nodded quietly. With one last worried glance at the girl who lay so still upon the bed, the woman exited, pulling the door shut behind her. The audible click stirred Vincent from his thoughts, and with a small sigh, he returned to the chair, sitting down with yet another sigh._

_(Flashback-End)_

Vincent was torn from his thoughts as Yuffie let out another racking cough, lurching upwards to cover her lips, her body crouched over on the bed. Her hair had fallen forward, covering her eyes and face as she coughed, and she had pulled her legs towards her chest a fraction. One of Clouds oversized white t-shirts covered her tiny upper frame, disappearing beneath the blankets, the sleeves reaching almost to her elbows, being thrown every which way as she coughed. "Yuffie-" The fit continued for a few more moments, before it subsided, the young woman's shoulders shaking as she drew in long deep breaths. "-wheeze- ugh…. -cough-…oh god.. I feel like I've just been…-cough cough- ran over…" His eyes widened, and without thinking, Vincents hand shot out to grasp her shoulder. "Yuffie!" Her head turned, silky smooth hair falling away from the pale face. Staring at him, with large, wide, stormy eyes, Yuffie let out a soft gasp as her shudders ceased and her eyes cleared, recognizing her companion. "Vincent…"

With tears in her eyes, she turned her face, ashamed for anyone to see her in such a condition. "…sorry." Shocked, Yuffie merely trembled, raising her head a bit in surprise. The hand that gripped her shoulder gently forced her around, another placing itself upon her other bony appendage, holding her effectively in place. Yuffie could not have fought it even if she had wanted, the weakness of her still healing injury and eight days of doing nothing still causing her to fight with consciousness. Still, that word was so uncharacteristically Vincent like, that she could not even keep her face from his, could not even lower it that fraction that it would take, and instead found herself staring into those vibrant red eyes. Blinking, she grasped feebly in her mind for words, and could come up with nothing more than a sputter and a "Wha-what was that?" Smiling beneath the corner of his cape, careful to not let it reflect in his gaze, Vincent replied in his stern voice, "I said, I am sorry Yuffie Kisaragi, for letting you come to such a pitiful state."

Nodding dumbly, Yuffie sat like a stone, eyes widening at his apology. "Um…" He resisted the, again, very un-Vincenty urge to laugh (giddy as he was deep within his soul that she had finally woken from the long slumber, effectively rejoining the land of the living), and merely stared back, loosening his grip a bit. Fiddling with a bit of fluff on her blanket, Yuffie looked down, intent on the ball of lint that for some reason, she just couldn't grip between her fingers long enough to remove. "Er…You-You're forgiven?" A faint shift, and the feeling of his fingers slowly pulling back, was the only reply to the response she had given. Her shoulders felt cold and her soul empty as he withdrew, leaving her alone. Suddenly, the sound of cloth rustling and a few metallic clicks drew her gaze.

**Part 12**

11:43 a.m. Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. 1st Floor, Bar

"Cloud…how much longer do you think she'll sleep?" Tifa said, leaning back against the thick leather of the couch seat. He sat beside her, one arm draped about her shoulders, the other resting upon his knee. Shifting slightly, Cloud brought her closer to his side, arms banding tightly about her. With the red velvet curtains drawn, the ruined city was visible, thick pillowed clouds of white and gray, blocking out the warming rays of the noon sun."Tifa, she'll wake soon, I can feel it. Don't worry so much, please." She smiled, lips thin, a strained expression upon her face. "I can't help it…" she whispered, eyes widening as a few fat flakes of powdered white suddenly drifted past the window.

"Snow!" momentarily forgetting the pain that had echoed deep within her mind, Tifa pushed from his arms and walked quickly towards the window, placing her face close and her fingers upon the cool glass.She wore a thick sweater, for the temperature had dropped a bit since the inncident. Plush and thick, the turtle necked, dark, royal purple cloth hugged her figure, emphasizing her womanly curves as it traced a path towards the jeans someone had lent her. Behind her, Cloud slowly rose to his feet, dressed in a thick black sweater and black jeans. Padding towards her, bare feet silent on the plush carpet, he took a closer look outside. "That really is-"

"It's snowing…Here…in Midgar. It's never snowed here before…" Eyes sliding to half-mast, Tifa watched the snow fall, faster and faster, hundreds of flakes, each melting as it plopped down upon a warmer object. It was to warm outside. "It's not going to stick…" Nothing ever stayed. Lives never stayed, they were a brief glimmer of beauty, there one moment, gone the next. Like snow…

**A/N: **Um...this was a kind of confusing chapter. I'm sorry. Forgive me! I know it's short too, but like I said, it's a continuation!


	5. Break Down

**A/N: **Helloo…Sorry this is so late, Hope you all haven't forgotten about me. Heehee! Unfortunately, I've been sick for a while. (chest pains and colds and the flu don't mix. Really.) Soo….(looks nervous) I hope everyone's doing well…And..um…sorry about all the one-shots. I found one on my computer, one that I did long before anything you're reading now. It only got 4 revvie's. Wahh. But that's okay, I know I'm not a good writer--er…I'll quit talking pointless things now. I'm sorry if this chapter is crappy.

WARNING: Fluff and OOC-ness. Be careful. This is filler? Help meee!

PS: I made Vinnie talk a lot. This is a really short chapter, I just churned it out so I could post something. I'll start writing what will hopefully be the last chapter when I get the time.

**Responses to Reviews**

**Emri**: Yay, thank you for thanking me for telling the truth? About the claw…um…well…you could use the logic that maybe he stored it in the same place the party puts the items during the game…you know, that hollow space that leads to nowhere that holds an infinite amount of useless crap? I mean, where do they carry the stuff in game…er.. Thank you very much!

(**Anonymous Reviewer without a name)**: If you read the authors note more carefully, you'll know that I'm taking it down for editing purposes. Oh, and, Thanks for the "This is great" comment.

**Yuffie Kisaragi2:** You like it, you really, really like it! (sniffle) Okay…I'll update soon. (sigh) Thank you very much for the review!

**NeonRaine:** Yay, prettiful and descriptiveness rocks, doesn't it? That's what I'm hoping to accomplish in SV by rewriting it. Thank you so much.

**Neko-Yuff16:** So…Vinnie has how many points now? Hmm…well, thank you very much for the review.

**Eternalstar180:** Yea, I kinda want a b/f too? Heehee, not really, I like being single. You roll around on the floor? Oh, and you're welcome for the input thingy. I like it when people give me input too! (cough, hint, cough) Thank you so much!

**Noriko**: You love the mush, you love the mush! Yay! (dances) Speaking of spicy foods, I choked on a piece of bojangles chicken yesterday…I'm glad you don't mind the ooc-ness. Thank you very much!

"_Brush the dust off it's dawn again my friend,  
Next time you'll get it,  
Next time you'll make amends,  
Tomorrow's children will need a light to shine the way,  
Without you, without you, who will tell them to stay?"  
((Lucky You - By the LOSTPROPHETS))_

**Part 15**

(backtrack) 8:26 a.m Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. 2nd Floor, Guestroom 102-A.

"Yuffie…" Suddenly, the sound of cloth rustling and a few, soft, metallic clicks drew her gaze. Staring, she watched the stoic man as he removed the warm red cloak, letting it fall away from his black clad figure. Moving forward once more, Yuffie could do nothing more than sit in shock as Vincent placed his arms about her, hugging, holding tightly. She gasped as two undoubtedly human hands wound their way about her, tightly holding her, pressing her against his form. Her face was pressed into the collar of his shirt, the top of her head fitted at the crook of his neck, just beneath his chin. "Vincent…" she whispered, feeling warm, comforted. It had felt this way in her dreams, so peaceful as she had slept.

"Yuffie, I--I…you sacrificed yourself for a small child…And, I know this may sound rude, but...I believed you to be nothing more than a spoiled child until then...Now I see…You have a courageous heart. A true shinobi.." She sniffed at his words, feeling her cheeks set aflame as the feeling of his hands so strongly pressing against her back comforted her. Dark hair brushed by her nose as he pulled her just a little closer, fragrant and soft.

"Vincent.." she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "I…I'm sorry…Sorry that..I worried you all…" She shifted slightly, moving her hands upwards to touch his chest. The thin, weak fingers fisted into his shirt, gripping it tightly as she felt hot liquid burn her cheeks, streaking down. They were tears. They soaked his shirt as he pulled her closer, pressing her cheek further into the crook of his neck. She sobbed quietly for a while, letting go of all the pain, all the bad memories, the fear of what had happened.

"When…when I went over, I was prepared to go…" she whispered after a few minutes. He listened silently, slightly curious on what she was saying. "I wanted to do something meaningful…" She added, slightly nuzzling her face against him, inhaling his clean, soft scent. Vincents hand slowly moved upwards, stroking her hair slowly, nodding.

"I understand…in a way. But Yuffie, you already have done something meaningful. You helped defeat Sephiroth, did you not?" He asked, voice calm, carefully masked and devoid of almost all emotion. She shook her head, clutching his shirt more fiercely, if that were possible.

"No, I mean, yes. I mean--I helped, but I wanted to do something that wouldn't have me remembered as a sidekick, and an annoying one at that. I wanted to go out with a bang, be remembered as someone great." She sniffled, and he pulled her away slightly, enough so that he could look her in the eye.

Vincents intense gaze startled her somewhat, and Yuffie could do nothing more than watch as he spoke, somewhat harshly. "You honestly believe you would be nothing more than a sidekick?"

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she spoke back as harshly as he. "Yes, with people like Cloud and Tifa seen as the great leaders of the group. We would've just been along for the ride. It's not like I want to bee seen as THE great hero, just not a sidekick."

Vincent almost growled in reply, but she looked so fierce, so angry, and so utterly…adorable that he could do nothing more than shake his head, letting his hair fall forward, trying to suppress a chuckle. "You are filled with a fighting spirit Yuffie. I do not believe you would have allowed anyone to see you as a sidekick."

She sniffed indignantly, "And how, pray tell, would I keep them FROM seeing me as nothing more than just that? I know you mean well Vincent, but I understand the way the world works. There are always main heroes and the rest are seen as nothing more than sidekicks. Besides, I'm nothing but an annoying teenager. Who on earth would think that I am a--"

"Wutai would see you as a hero."

"But that's my home country. Of course they'd think of me like that." She said, as if stating a fact, her voice slightly annoyed.

"The little boy would see you as a hero."

"I saved his life."

"Do not forget, Yuffie. You helped save everyone else's as well."

"That's not the point. Most of the Planet doesn't even know that I exist--"

"I…see you as a hero."

Well, there was no arguing with that. Yuffie's eyes widened, all the fight going out of them. "Oh god, I was afraid to die." she whispered, looking up at him, pleadingly. They were back where they had started, somewhat. "I was afraid it would be the end, when I woke up after the fall. It hurt so badly, I was so scared, you just don't know. I thought I was gonna bleed to death, Vinnie, it wasn't--and I was like, 'it's not supposed to end this way! Not broken and bruised and dying on a huge piece of metal with my body in ribbons'! Gawd…" She shuddered, her eyes growing dark.

Vincent knew she was withdrawing into herself, something he had often done. But, it was frightening to see this girl, who was always so open, with her eyes dimming, her body shuddering. Taking a page from her book, Vincent's mind thought bitterly, 'this wasn't the way a Yuffie was supposed to act'. His steel grip lessened, and once more, he pulled her against him, stroking her hair comfortingly. This time, she did not cry, but let out a despairing moan, a half sob that ripped at his heart.

"Vinnie…" She sniffled after a few minutes of breathing into him, taking the comfort he offered. Vincent, ignoring the nickname, tightened his hold against her, eyes closing as he felt the bitterness of being unable to help her grip his heart. He buried his face in her hair, whispering her name over and over, aching mentally, physically. Thick, black hair flowed over Yuffie like an ocean of darkness as his face nuzzled into the top of her head, the long silken strands enveloping them both.

"Do not despair, Yuffie." He whispered, voice low and deep. "You have lived through the pain, and you have another chance at life. Do not waste it."

She sniffled slightly, a retort easily escaping her lips. "What about you, Vince? You too are still alive. Why do you never put your 'sins' behind you?"

He grimaced, giving her an awkward sort of squeeze. "Advice is better given than taken, Yuffie."

She smiled a bit, pulling slightly back, though reluctant to leave his warmth just yet. His hands slowly moved to clasp her shoulders once more, lightly, fingers warm and smooth. She turned to look down when she realized there were two sets of _fingers._ As in, Vinnie had two hands. "Hey, Vincent, your hand--claw, er…where is it!"

He looked down, frowning, realizing that the 'demon claw' he had worn was gone, that he had taken it off earlier and had seemingly forgotten to put it back upon his arm. Vincent nodded slowly, looking toward the girl again. "My claw is under the bed." She squirmed out of his grip, and with more energy than she should have had, Yuffie leaned over the bed to peer down, and sure as the sun was shining over the ruins of Midgar, there lay Vincents claw. She picked the object up, turning the bronze in her hands as the sunlight glinted off the tarnished sheen.

"Vincent…" She whispered after a few minutes, looking back at him, a smile playing at her pale lips. He looked at her, frowning as he watched a mischievous Yuffie patented grin plaster itself on her face.

**A/N: **Gasp, what will Yuffie do with the claw! No, not that you perverts! See you next post! Oh yeah, DDR rocks and Tsugaru is really really REALLY hard to do on heavy.


End file.
